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Andrew Wiggins says Kobe Bryant 'perfected the game of basketball.'

Kobe's 38 points impressed the kids who used to watch him on T.V.

Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports

Kobe Bryant had one of the final scoring explosions of his NBA career, going for 38 points on 10-21 shooting in the 51st game of his 82 game swan song. It was Bryant's season-high in terms of scoring, and one of the handful of nights this season he has looked not just "good for a 37-year old," but "legitimately good for any NBA player," and it left one of his young teammates particularly impressed.

"It was just another Mamba moment to add to the collection," Russell told Ryan Ward of Lakers Nation after the game. "[There] should be a museum of just Mamba moments." Something tells me if D'Angelo wanted to build one, that's the type of off the court business venture that could do very well in the Los Angeles area.

Russell wasn't the only young Laker enamored with Bryant on Tuesday night. Julius Randle was also amazed by Bryant scoring 14 of the Lakers final 18 points in the close win:

Bryant's opponents on the night were similarly in awe:

Andrew Wiggins, who went toe-to-toe with Bryant for the majority of the fourth quarter, had the highest praise for the retiring legend:

Bryant reciprocated the love from the future star:

Bryant also shared his philosophy on how he is giving back to the next generation of the NBA as his fades away:

While some lament the "buddy-buddy" culture of the modern NBA, where players are friendlier with each other than they were in the nascent days of the league, it's hard not to enjoy listening to how much these younger players are relishing a chance to play with, against, and watch one of the greatest players ever, especially on a night when he shined so brightlyit led the opposing coach to say he "hates" him.

You can find this author on Twitter at @hmfaigen.

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